France: 3-year-old girl 'chokes to death on egg toy'
A three-year-old girl in France allegedly died after choking on a toy hidden inside a Kinder Surprise egg. Cause of death has been revealed to be airway obstruction.
The child's mother has told police that she was with her daughter when the incident occurred. She reportedly said her daughter swallowed a small plastic wheel that had broken off from a piece of toy hidden inside the Kinder Surprise, also known as a Kinder egg.
The child's grandfather, who was also present during the incident, apparently managed to extract the piece of toy from her throat but by then the child had gone into a coma. Firefighters were also called to the scene in order to resuscitate the child. She was later taken to Purpan hospital in the southwestern city of Toulouse on 17 January but died in hospital.
According to Metronews, the toddler suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen. The autopsy report released on 19 January also confirmed the same. The police are investigating the incident and are trying to verify the mother's allegations.
Ferrero Group, the Italian maker of the Kinder brand, called the incident "sad" and said it was unable to confirm whether its brand had anything to do with the girl's death.
"All Kinder Surprise toys are designed and developed with safety in mind, rigorously observing international regulations as well as extra safety criteria voluntarily adopted by the Ferrero Group," the company said.
The company routinely warns about the potential danger the small toys can pose to children aged three and below. Kinder Surprise is banned in the US as its laws forbid the sale of any food that has hidden toys in them.
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